Jeffrey M. Fleming

Jeffrey Michael Fleming (born February 10, 1966) is an American priest of the Catholic Church who was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings by Pope Francis in April 2022.

The Reverend

Jeffrey Michael Fleming
Coadjutor Bishop-Elect of Great Falls-Billings
DioceseHelena
AppointedApril 19, 2022
Orders
OrdinationMay 19, 1992
by Elden Francis Curtiss
Personal details
Born (1966-02-10) February 10, 1966
Billings, Montana

Biography

Early Life

Fleming was born in Billings, Montana, on February 10, 1956, to Mike and Glenda (nee Gibson) Fleming, and raised in Belt, Montana, along with two sisters[1] He received his sacraments of Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation at Saint Mark's Catholic Church. During his junior and senior years of high school, he began to feel a possible call to the priesthood.[2]

He obtained a bachelor's degree in theology and religious education at Carroll College in Helena in 1988,[3] having been active in the vocational discernment program there.[2] He earned his master's degree in theology at Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Oregon, in 1992 and his licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1998.[3]

Priesthood

He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Helena on May 19, 1992 by Eldon F. Curtiss, Bishop of Helena.[4][3] He was parish vicar of the Anaconda Catholic Community in 1992 and of the Saint Helena Cathedral in 1996; chaplain of Carroll College in Helena in 1998; pastor of Saint Rose of Lima parish in Dillon in 2003, of Christ the King parish in Missoula in 2006, of Saint John the Baptist parish in Frenchtown in 2013, of Saint Michael parish in Drummond and of Saint Philip parish in Philipsburg in 2016; administrator of Saint Thomas the Apostle parish in Helmville and of Saint Jude parish in Lincoln in 2019. For the diocese, he was a member of the priests council and of the College of Consultors. From 2020 to 2022 he was chancellor, moderator of the diocesan curia and adjunct judicial vicar.[3] He also served as the bishop's delegate to the school board of Missoula Catholic Schools. [5]

In response to a 2020 instruction[6] from the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy regarding role of the parish in view of the institutional decline of the Catholic Church, Fleming said that the document stresses that every member of a parish is called to be a "witness of Christ, a light to the world...Pope Francis is calling us to be a church that looks outwardly, not just inside the church itself... To bring more people to the table, especially the poor and marginalized."[7]

Bishop of Great Falls-Billings

Pope Francis appointed Fleming coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings on April 19, 2022.[8][9] Fleming is scheduled to be consecrated as a bishop in Great Falls on June 22 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.[9][10]

See also

References
  1. "Glenda Fleming". Great Falls Tribune. May 16, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2022 – via Legacy.com.
  2. "St. Ann's Cathedral of Great Falls, MT". April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022 – via Facebook.
  3. "Rinunce e nomine, 19.04.2022" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  4. "Helena, Mont., diocesan chancellor is named Great Falls-Billings coadjutor". Our Sunday Visitor. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. "About MCS". Missoula Catholic Schools. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  6. "Instruction "The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church", of the Congregation for the Clergy". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  7. "Vatican instructions give parishioners more hope in face of closings". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  8. "Pope Francis Names Father Jeffrey Fleming of Diocese of Helena as Coadjutor Bishop of Great Falls-Billings". Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  9. "Fr Jeffrey Michael Fleming named Coadjutor Bishop of Great Falls-Billings" (PDF). Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  10. "Fleming named as successor to Bishop Warfel". Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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